benet



(No Model.) 2 Sheets-Sheet 1,

L.V.BBNET. SAFETY BREEGHLOGK FOR GUNS.

No. 533,860. Patented Feb. 12, 1895.

(No Model.) 2 Sheets-Sheet 2.

L. V. BENET. SAFETY BREEGH LOCK POR GUNS.

No. 533,860. Patented Feb. 12,1895.

Ybeen struck but before the discharge of the UNrrED STATES ',PATENT Garten,

LAUnENcE v. ENEr,-OF PARIsERANcE, AssIcNOR To' THEIH'OTOHKIss O'RDNANOE COMPANY, LIMITED, OF.l LONDON, ENGLAND.

SAFETY esseci-lsrncrmce'rrou forming .part of Letters Patent No. 533,860, dateafretmary 1'2', 1895.

Application filed March 3,1893. Renewed December 5, 1894.

Z'o all whom it may concern: l

Be it known that I; LAURENCE V. BENT, a citizen of the United States, residing temporarily at Paris, in the Republic of France, have invented a new and useful improvement in Safety-Locks for Guns, of which the following is a specification, and for which I have obtained a French certificate of addition dated April 29, 1881, to Letters Patent No. 189,228, dated March 9, 1888.

The object of my invention is to provide a means for locking automatically the breech block, Of a c uick firing, machine or other gun, in such a manner that the breech cannot be opened before the discharge of the piece except by a definite and conscious action on the part of the cannoneer; to provide a means for automatically unlocking the breech immediately on the discharge of the piece and to provide a means for throwing the safety lock out of action when it is desired to manipulate the g n without firing as at drill.

All guns are liable to what is technically known as hang tires and this is particularly the case when brown and smokeless powders are employed as a defect in the priming may cause a very appreciable time to elapse between pulling the lanyard or the fall of the firing pin and the discharge of the piece. In the heat of action when the gun is being fired at its maximum' rapidity, the cannoneer operating thebreech mechanism works almost automatically, andmay (as has occurred) open the breech after the primer has piece, thus causing a disastrous accident.

- My invention is designed to prevent such accidents; and my invention consists essentially of a bolt mounted on a gun held normally in engagement with the breech mechanism to lock it by a spring or other suitable yielding device and automatically throw' itout of engagement therewith' on the recoil of the gun after firing.

In the accompanying drawings which illustrate my invention: Figure 1 is a view partly in cross section of my safety lock applied to the 'breach mechanism of the well known Hotchkiss quick ring gun, in which 'the safety lockis shown in the locked position at Serial No. "530,980. (No model.) Patented in France March 9, 189.228.

the moment that `the hammer has struck the cross section -`of the same `after the firing of the gun, with the safety look l'retracted and the breech block partially withdrawn. Fig.

v3 is an end View of the device for throwingV the safety lock out of action. Fig. 4. is a view partly in cross sect-ion on the line 4 4. .of Fig. 2` showing the forward end of the breech block:

.A Figs. 1 to 4 is the breech of the gun and B the breech block. f VC is abox or case containing the safety lock device. In this instance the box C is screw' threaded at its open-end bywhich it is secured in its seat C in the breech block, but it may also consist of a chamber recessed in the breech block itself.

B is a passage through the breech block forming a prolongation ofthe case and centering with a similar passage A. drilled through the breech Awhen the breech` block is lin the closed position and the gun is ready for discharge. y

D is the safetybolt or piston having a limited longitudinal play in the case C in the line of the recoil of the gun.

When the bolt D is thrust toward the breech of the gun its extremity D projects through the passage B' beyond the rear face of the breech block, ready to engage in the corresponding chamber A in the breech and when the bolt is retracted, it lies flush with the rear face of the breech block. .Acoiled spring D2 `located within the case C and abutting between a collar d on the .bolt D and the end of the case holds the bolt normally in position to engage with. the aperture A of the breech.

E is 'a sea-r pivoted to the case'C and thrown into engagement through a slot c in the case .with the groove d ofv thebolt Dwhen the spring D2 is compressed against the bolt. A spring elodgedbetween the the tail e of the sear and the case C, holds the sear'normally in. position to engage with the bolt and lock it'when the latter is retracted out of the Way of the breech. l

F is the shaft or axis of the firing hammer, on which is mounted a, cam F in position to the bolt on the cooking. of the hammer after the discharge. l

The operation of my invention is as folglows: When the gun is-in the position shown in Fig. 1, at'the moment that the hammer has struck the primer of the cartridge but before the discharge ef4 the piece, the extremity D ber A of the breech.

of the safety bolt which is thrust out by the stress of the spring D? engages in the chamJ It is now impossible to open thebreech as all movement ot' the breech block is prevented by the bolt D. On the dischargethe gun recoils but the bolt by its inertia does not partake 'of this motion, but the spring D2 is compressed against it until the sear E actuated by its spring e rises vand en` gaging'in the groove d in the bolt D prevents the latter from resuming its original position. The breech 'of the gun may now be opened..

. As the breech block descends thehammer is cocked and the revolution of the'shaft F'bri'ngs the cam F in position to encounter the tail e of the sear E raising it and releasing the boltD which resumes its normal position 1`1nder the, stress of the spring D2. On closing the breech the beveled extremity D of the bolt encounters the inclined plane a on the breech A and the bolt is forced back but not sufficiently to engage the sear E. lVhen the breech is completely closed the extremity D." of thebolt is thrust into the passage-Aiinthe breech by spring l)2 and the breech is again locked.

To open the breech without ring the gun or te-render the safety lock inoperative, I provide a lever G which is keyed to a bolt G located in the chamberv A of the breech. A

spiral groove g on the bolt engages with the guide screw g' controlling the throw of the bolt. When the lever G is given a half turn to the left to the position .marked Danger the bolt G moves forward completely closing the chamber A thus preventing the entrance of the safety bolt D and the breech may now be opened or closed at will.

It is evident that the aperture closing the device-mounted -in the breech may be emn ployed with any safety lock, automatic or otherwise, in which the chamber or recess en-l gageswith a boltor other deviceon the safety lock. v

Having thus described my invention, what I claim as new, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is

1. The combination with the breech of a breech loading gun having the chamber A and a bolt in' the breech block adapted to engage in said chamber of the levervG, its spi- `rally grooved shaft G located in said charnber A and guide screw g mounted in the breech and engagingin said groove, substantially as described.

2.'The combination with the breech of a breech loading gun, ofthe breech Ahaving the l chamber A', the lever G, its spirally grooved shaft G located in said chamber and the guide screw g mounted in the breech and engaging in said groove, of the breech block B having a safety lock engaging in said chamberwhen the 'same 'is open, and rendered inoperative when the same i slclosed, substantially'as described. y

3*. The combination with. the breech of a breech loading gun having the chamber A,

and a bolt in the breech block which registers with saidv chamber when the breech is closed, of a rod or shaft located in said chamber and longitudinally adjustable therein, whereby said bolt is permitted to engage or prevented from engaging' said chamber at will, and a device mounted on the breech for adjusting said v ,rod or shaft, substantially as described.

4. Ina breech loading gun, the combination with the gun breech having a recess, and means to open and close said recess, of the breech block having a bolt which registers substantially as described.

In testimony whereof I have hereunto set with said recess .when the breech is closed, v

my hand in' the'presence of two subscribing witnesses.

' LAURENCE v. BnNE'r. Witnesses: -I

M. GRALL, Jr., TH. FAVARGER. 

